HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY: One in 10 Americans claim Irish Ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 31.5 million residents claim Irish ancestry, which is second only to German, which 43.0 million residents claim as part of their heritage.
There are individuals with Irish heritage in all of the 3,142 counties in the United States.
When it comes to U.S. presidents, including current President Joe Biden, exactly half (23) trace some of their roots to Ireland.
The five states with the most residents of Irish descent, by percentage of total population, are: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine.
Meanwhile, the five states with the most smiling Irish eyes are the nation’s most populous: California, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas.
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LEAPING LEPRECHAUNS: In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here are some fun facts about the little fellows that protect the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Leprechauns are part of the fairy family, small and likely to get into trouble.
Journalist Dick Fagan noticed a circular hole in concrete in Portland, Oregon, the former home of a light pole. After adding greenery and a sign designating the area “the world’s smallest park,” Fagan began writing about the spot and the small leprechaun colony who live there — visible only to Fagan, of course. Mill Ends Park became an official city park on St. Patrick’s Day, 1976.
Even today, the leprechauns continue to caper in the park, enjoying additions from believers that include a swimming pool in recent years.
In Ireland, the remaining leprechauns (there are apparently 236 of them), were given heritage status in 2009.
The wee group also has a protected sanctuary designated in Carlingford Mountain, also known as Slieve Foye.
Kevin Woods, the local Leprechaun Whisperer in Carlingford, has seen three of the spry cobblers in his lifetime, and it was he who helped them achieve heritage status.
